In the aftermath of one of the most disappointing defeats for any team in Pitt history, the Panthers’ Olivia Babcock received the expected consolation prize Friday when she was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year. She is the first Pitt player to earn the award that recognizes the nation’s most dominant player.

Babcock, a 6-foot-4 sophomore All-American from Los Angeles, averaged 5.9 points, 4.7 kills, 1.8 digs and 0.6 aces per set. Her 71 aces this season are a program record, breaking the previous mark set by Dee MacAulay (67) in 1989. Babcock is fifth in program history for kills in a season (538).

Liv is the first Panther in program history to be named the @AVCAVolleyball National Player of the Year! ???? pic.twitter.com/7Z5BK74GjS

— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) December 20, 2024

Previously, she was named ACC Player of the Year, first-team All-ACC and East Coast Region Player of the Year while earning East Coast Region honors.

During the NCAA Tournament Regional last weekend at Petersen Events Center, Babcock was named the Most Outstanding Player after recording 44 kills in victories against No. 14 Oregon and No. 11 Kentucky. Her 33 kills against Louisville in the Final Four on Thursday night are the most recorded by a Pitt player since 2007.

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